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We invite you to listen to us on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network weekdays- if you missed this morning's Farm News - or you are in an area where you can't hear it- click here for this morning's Farm news from Ron Hays on RON.
Let's Check the Markets!
OKC West is our Market Links Sponsor- they sell cattle three days a week- Cows on Mondays, Stockers on Tuesday and Feeders on Wednesday- Call 405-262-8800 to learn more.
Today's First Look:
mornings with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets Etc.
OKC West has wrapped up their weekly trade with their best market since the Pandemic hit the cattle trade- Feeder steers 4.00-8.00 higher, instance 10.00 higher. Feeder heifers 1.00-5.00 higher. Demand very good for feeder cattle as cattle futures closed sharply higher and slaughter cattle traded for 110.00. Click here for the complete report from USDA Market News.
The Wednesday Wholesale Boxed Beef Trade soared higher again with Choice Beef up $20 to $ 449.18 while Select Beef jumped $21 to 431.96- click here for the complete report compiled by USDA Market News.
Okla Cash Grain:
Futures Wrap:
Feeder Cattle Recap:
Slaughter Cattle Recap:
TCFA Feedlot Recap:
Our Oklahoma Farm Report Team!!!!
Ron Hays, Senior Farm Director and Editor
KC Sheperd, Associate Farm Director and Editor Sam Knipp, Farm Editor Pam Arterburn, Calendar and Template Manager Dave Lanning, Markets and Production
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Oklahoma's Latest Farm and Ranch News
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON
Thursday, May 7, 2020
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Howdy Neighbors!
Here is your daily Oklahoma farm and ranch news update.
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 U.S. Pork Exports Reach New Heights in March; First Quarter Beef Exports also on Record Pace
Underpinned by record production, U.S. pork exports completed a tremendous first quarter with new March records for volume and value, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Beef exports also trended higher year-over-year in March, establishing a record first quarter pace.
"March export results were very solid, especially given the COVID-19 related headwinds facing customers in many international markets at that time," said USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. "Stay-at-home orders created enormous challenges for many countries' foodservice sectors, several key currencies slumped against the U.S. dollar and logistical obstacles surfaced in some key markets - yet demand for U.S. red meat proved very resilient."
Some recent events, including temporary closures of several U.S. processing plants, are not reflected in the first quarter export data. Halstrom cautioned that April and May exports could slow as a result, but his outlook for 2020 remains positive.
"These are truly unprecedented circumstances, creating an uncertain global business climate," Halstrom explained. "The U.S. meat industry has spent decades developing a loyal and well-informed customer base throughout the world, which has embraced the quality and value delivered by U.S. red meat. Their commitment to U.S. products during this crisis is much-appreciated."
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Sponsor Spotlight
Dating back to 1891, Stillwater Milling Company has been supplying ranchers with the highest quality feeds made from the highest quality ingredients. Their full line of A & M Feeds can be delivered direct to your farm, found at their Agri-Center stores in Stillwater, Davis, Claremore and Perry or at more than 125 dealers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas. We appreciate Stillwater Milling Company's long time support of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and we encourage you to click here to learn more about their products and services.
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In the latest Episode of our Road to Rural Prosperity, The Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Brent Kisling, talked with me about how he continues to push for every Oklahoma resident to be counted in the 2020 Census. He admits COVID 19 has slowed the process down- but soon door to door enumerators will be heading out.
Brent says a lot is at stake when it comes to improving the well being of our state- every person missed costs the state and local communities thousands in lost federal dollars over the coming decade- and his personal goal is to have a final count of 4.1 million or more Oklahomans.
He adds that Rural Oklahoma will prosper with a full and complete count.
Today's Road to Rural Prosperity is powered by PSO, Public Service Company of Oklahoma.
To find our more about our full series of Podcasts on The Road to Rural Prosperity and to be able to select and listen to them on SOUNDCLOUD- click or tap here.
Click here to read more about this latest podcast featuring Brent Kisling- and get the link in the story as well.
I also want to remind you-if oyu have not yet listened to our conversation with Dr. Bailey Norwood yet- you are missing a great visit where we talked all about Supply Chain as well as his efforts in teaching Farm to Fork- here's the link to the Bailey Norwood Podcast- available here.
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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue sent the following two letters to Governors across the nation and leadership of major meat processing companies. These letters establish the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) clear expectations for the implementation of President Donald J. Trump's Executive Order signed last week. The President's Executive order directs plants to follow the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance specific to the meat processing industry to keep these critical facilities open while maintaining worker safety.
"USDA expects state and local officials to work with these critical meat processing facilities to maintain operational status while protecting the health of their employees," Secretary Perdue said. "Meat processing facilities are critical infrastructure and are essential to the national security of our nation. Keeping these facilities operational is critical to the food supply chain and we expect our partners across the country to work with us on this issue."
The Governors letter states, "I understand that State and local leaders are working diligently to protect and maintain the wellbeing of their citizens, including those who work on the front lines in critical industries, such as
meat and poultry processing. It is essential that we work together to ensure the health and safety of those who help keep food on the table during this unprecedented time. "
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The reduction of meat processing capacity caused by U.S. plant closures and slowdowns has created a massive bottleneck in the nation's meat and livestock supply chain. Nearly two dozen plants that process beef and pork products closed in April due to the COVID-19 outbreak, while many others have had to slow their production as a result of the disease.
According to a new report from CoBank's Knowledge Exchange division, even if the reduction of processing capacity is temporary, it will likely have a lasting impact on meat processors, livestock producers, retail stores and consumers. Meat supplies for retail grocery stores could shrink nearly 30% by Memorial Day, leading to retail pork and beef price increases as high as 20% relative to prices last year.
"Margins for cattle and hog farmers have fallen to multi-year lows," said Will Sawyer, lead animal protein economist with CoBank. "As meat plants have closed, farmers are left with few options for their livestock, requiring herds to be culled. Shrinkage in the U.S. livestock herd will likely make the food supply shortage more acute later in the year."
Pork and beef production is down approximately 35% compared to this time last year, making retail shortages and price inflation nearly assured, Sawyer added.
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Sponsor Spotlight
The Oklahoma Farm Bureau - a grassroots organization that has for its Mission Statement- "Improving the Lives of Rural Oklahomans." Farm Bureau, as the state's largest general farm organization, is active at the State Capitol fighting for the best interests of its members and working with other groups to make certain that the interests of rural Oklahoma are protected. Click here for their website to learn more about the organization and how it can benefit you to be a part of Farm Bureau.
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Dr. Derrell Peel, OSU Extension livestock economist believes it's critically important to understand why the meat market works the way it does, especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Peel, who has become the leading expert on the pandemic's economic impact on livestock markets, was an on-air guest earlier this week up in Kansas
Peel said we have a serious backlog of cattle due to the slowdown in meat processing plants.
In the last four weeks the estimated cattle slaughter suggests we have lost the equivalent of one full week of slaughter, Peel said.
The OSU economist optimistically said the worse may be about over.
We may be at the worse point now, as I think we start to make some progress if not this coming week or soon thereafter, Peel said.
He noted it may take the rest of the year to work through the cattle backlog.
Comments from Dr. Peel are featured in our latest Beef Buzz- you can read more and also hear Dr. Peel weigh in on the market dynamics by clicking or tapping here.
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Selling direct to consumers is a common idea circulating among beef producers today as the COVID-19 pandemic has interfered with the normal food supply chain. The practice has long been used by Wayne Whitmore, Coyle, Okla., to sell meat, eggs and vegetables from his farm. He recently talked with Radio Oklahoma Agriculture Network Farm Editor Sam Knipp about the business.
Whitmore is a fixture at Farmer's Markets in central Oklahoma, including Stillwater and Edmond. Whitmore is pictured with the cowboy hat in the photo with this article, which was taken during last year's market in Edmond.
"Meat sales are up a little, compared to normal," Whitmore said during opening day of the Edmond market May 2.
Whitmore said he has been selling about one quarter of a carcass each week, which is about 160 pounds of finished beef.
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A new pest risk assessment has been approved by both the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), opening the door for U.S. sorghum to flow into the country for high-value uses including pet food and liquor as well as a feed product for the aquaculture, poultry and swine industries.
This opening follows nearly five years of collaborative efforts by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), the United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP) and the National Sorghum Producers (NSP) and work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS), as well as regulators and industry in Vietnam.
It also highlights the importance of addressing a wide range of constraints to new demand opportunities for U.S. ag products and collaboration among U.S. agriculture groups with access to specialized knowledge about the many details of commodity exports.
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This N That- Lots of Webinars to Check Out, Congressman Lucas Looking for Relief for Rural Hospitals and Seaboard Has Positives
Coming up this morning is a great training session for those in agriculture and interested in the SBA EIDL program.
It's an ONLINE ZOOM TRAINING. If you an Oklahoma farmer or rancher who needs help completing your SBA EIDL or PPP disaster loan applications, Oklahoma SBDC advisors and Susheel Kumar of the U.S. SBA will walk you through the process and answer your questions in this Zoom training.
Speaker(s): Barbara Bonner - OKSBDC, Susheel Kumar - SBA Office of Disaster Assistance, James Arati - OKSBDC/OSU Extension, Rodney Holcomb - OKSBDC/OSU Dept. of Agriculture Economics
The ZOOM is at 9:00 AM THIS MORNING. Click here for complete detail and the link to register.
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This evening- folks from Texas and Oklahoma will be invading North Dakota- sorta. Actually North Dakota State is partnering with Texas A&M and West Virginia Universities to offer a tremendous series of webinars on beef industry marketing issues.
The first of these is TONIGHT at 7 PM.
Click here for the link that takes you to the form to register.
Speakers tonight include Dr. Ron Gill, Dr. David Anderson and Dr. Davey Griffin- all of Texas Agrilife Extension- and also talking Beef Checkoff will be past CBB Chairman and Oklahoma rancher Chuck Coffey.
This lead-off webinar will offer an overview of the current situation and discuss MCOOL (mandatory country-of-origin labeling) and imports, packer margins, euthanasia of livestock in other industries, opportunities and challenges of local production and the Beef Checkoff.
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FRIDAY- it's the Lahoma Field Day on Facebook Live- Click here for our earlier story with details about who is speaking when- starting at 8:30 AM Friday morning.
************************** Late Wednesday afternoon- we got word that Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas has been a key player in rolling out proposed legislation to help rural hospitals- best way to find out more is by jumping over to our website- click here for the complete story.
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FINALLY- Meatingplace continues to offer quite a bit of play by play of what is what when it comes to Processing Plants and COVID-19.
They cite a report from Tulsa Public Radio that the Seaboard plant in Guymon has had multiple positives for COVID-19.
According to their report- "Seaboard Foods reports that at least 116 employees have tested positive for the virus at the plant in the Oklahoma panhandle. Texas County, Okla., where the plant is located, has reported 236 confirmed cases of COVID-19, though it is unknown how many of the plant employees live outside of Texas County and would not be included in that total.
David Eaheart, a Seaboard Foods spokesperson, provided a statement saying that the company does provide employees with masks and access to hand sanitizer, encourages social distancing, and checks the temperature of everyone entering the plant. "As we adapt our practices to address the challenges created by COVID-19, our expectations are that every employee follows the requirements and guidelines at all times to help protect each other," the statement reads. The news report adds that the pork processing plant in Guymon continues to operate. Seaboard in Guymon is the sixth largest pork processing plant in the US, according to stats from the National Pork Board and can at full capacity process 20,500 hos daily.
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Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, P & K Equipment, AFR Insurance, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Great Plains Kubota, Stillwater Milling Company, Oklahoma Cotton Council, National Livestock Credit Corporation, Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma AgCredit, the Oklahoma Cattlemens Association and KIS Futures for their support of our daily Farm News Update. For your convenience, we have our sponsors' websites linked here- just click on their name to jump to their website- check their sites out and let these folks know you appreciate the support of this daily email, as their sponsorship helps us keep this arriving in your inbox on a regular basis- at NO Charge!
We invite you to check out our website at the link below too that includes an archive of these daily emails, audio reports and top farm news story links from around the globe.
God Bless! You can reach us at the following:
phone: 405-473-6144
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